The basis of Germany´s technological competitiveness continues to be a good one. In the nineties, however, the investments to maintain this position have left much to be desired. The most recent efforts in investments, in research and development and patenting activities are found to be...

We study fiscal devaluation in a small-open economy with labor market search frictions. Our analysis shows the key role of both dimensions in shaping the optimal tax scheme. By reducing labor market distortions, the tax reform is welfare-improving. Yet, as it makes imports more expensive, fiscal...

Environmental taxation very often comprises special provisions for parts of the business sector in order to attenuate effects on competitiveness of emissionintensive activities. This paper discusses motives, alternative designs and criteria for the evaluation of such safeguards and analyzes if...

The recent U.S. international tax reforms are a hodgepodge of nominal and effective tax rate reductions, a poorly designed export subsidy and unnecessarily complex revenue raising tax base protections. The most significant “international” change in the 2017 U.S. tax legislation is the...

This paper develops a model of a small open economy that produces an export good with domestic labour and imported energy and is stuck in an unemployment situation resulting from an excessive fixed net-of-tax wage rate. We study a revenue-neutral green tax reform that substitutes energy for wage...

According to the traditional theory, for energy taxes uniform rates across sectors are optimal. But wherever attempts are made to "green" the tax system at least some sectors are treated differently. Exemption regulations for energy-intensive sectors are not the only but perhaps the only...